Virginia will have its first female governor in a close and wide election

In Virginia, polling stations opened at 6:00 a.m. (12:00 p.m. Spanish time) and will remain open until 7:00 p.m. (1:00 a.m. Wednesday) to decide who will be the next governor. The race pits Democrat Abigail Spanberger against Republican Winsome Earle-Sears to succeed Glenn Youngkin of the Republican Party. This will be the first time in its history that this traditionally Republican state, which has increasingly leaned Democratic over the last two decades, elects a woman governor.

The election has sparked enormous interest. In the 45 days of early voting, 1.4 million ballots have been cast, compared to fewer than 1.2 million in the same election in 2021 in a state with 6.3 million registered voters. It has also generated significant spending for a gubernatorial election. Spanberger, the clear favorite—polls gave her a lead of up to 12 percentage points over her rival—has raised $65.6 million, according to her campaign. Earle-Jones, who has not received an explicit endorsement from President Donald Trump, has raised just over half that amount, $35.5 million.

Interest in this election, interpreted as a referendum on Trump's performance during his first ten months in office, is also measured by the number and influence of the prominent figures who have come out in support of the candidates in the lead-up to the vote. Former President Barack Obama joined Spanberger at one of her closing rallies over the weekend; Trump participated in a teleconference rally in support of the Republican candidates on Monday night.

In addition to the governorship, the lieutenant governorship is also up for grabs, with Democrat Ghazala Hashmi and Republican John Reid vying for the position, as is the attorney general race, which pits the current incumbent, Republican Jason Miyares, against Democratic challenger Jay Jones. These are separate races: unlike other states, Virginia does not vote on joint slates. The 100 seats in the state legislature will also be decided, where Democrats have held a slim majority (currently 51-48, following a decline among Republicans) for the past four years.

Polls indicate that Hashmi is narrowly ahead of Reid. Miyares is considered the Republican with the best chance of winning this race, after his opponent became embroiled in a scandal involving text messages in which he expressed support for shooting a Republican congressman and his family.